KAEX Challenge - Allura Rescues Keith
by Sean Montgomery
Summary: Lame titles, for the win! Pretty self explanatory. Rated K for Lotor being a jerk and wounding our fearless leader. Simple one-shot.


Keith's head flew backward with the force of Lotor's uppercut, knocking it against the wall and making him see stars. His vision swam as he tried to get his bearings. Lotor grabbed the turf of his hair and forced Keith to look at him.

"You insufferable maggot," Lotor growled, gripping his hair harder. "And here I thought capturing you would satiate my anger. However, it appears just the mere sight of you makes me want to kill you."

"Go ahead and do it," Keith rasped, the dare feeling less challenging with his head as foggy as it was.

"And eliminate my game so quickly? Apparently you have no concept of torture, Captain." Lotor threw another punch at Keith's jaw. He wasn't sure where, but Keith knew there was another split on his lip. He could feel blood dripping onto his uniform.

"I don't plan to just torture you. There would be little to no fun in that for me and absolutely no gain in the long run. What could I hold over the Voltron Force in telling them that I killed their leader? No, no, no. This… will be much more severe."

With his one good eye, Keith looked at Lotor's back as he walked to the gate of the cell, pulling in a small cart of various tools obviously used for prolonged torture. "So that's your plan? You're going to break me down piece by piece?"

"I wouldn't think of it that way. That's simply the bigger picture. What I had in mind was starting small. Perhaps I'll cut off all of your fingers and send them to the four members of the Voltron Force, with the fifth going to that chief advisor. Maybe I'll send an eyeball covered in locks of your hair after that. Chunks of skin might follow." Lotor turned, holding a tool Keith had never seen before. "I think I'll start with that tongue of yours. You simply talk too much."

"Look who's talking."

"You're bold, to be sure," Lotor stood before him, a small smirk playing at his lips. His amber eyes held a bloodlust Keith had rarely seen. "Maybe I should keep you alive. No one has ever challenged me quite the way you have."

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of capturing me?"

"Not quite. I think you've already figured it out by now. Without you, Voltron is useless. I've seen how those Lions handle one Robeast without their leader. Maybe I'll send a weak one to toy with them, then let them become increasingly difficult."

"You shouldn't underestimate this team, Lotor. You don't give us enough credit for how tight we really are."

Lotor's eyes narrowed. He took one glance at Keith's shoulder, grabbed his arm, and wrenched it out of the socket. Keith screamed, trying to keep his legs straight so he wouldn't injure it further. His arm felt ablaze.

"Perhaps, Captain, you don't give me enough credit for how deep my anger burns."

Keith tried desperately to take steady breaths, but the movement only caused more pain. The injuries to his ribs made breathing difficult. His heart was racing. He knew he had to stay focused, but with his arm now dislocated, it would be hard to escape while Lotor was still there.

His head was forced against the wall when Lotor gripped his jaw, holding it so tightly he felt his skin being jammed between his teeth. "I shall take great pleasure in making you suffer moment… by agonizing… moment." His grip tightened.

"Get the hell away from him."

Keith's eyes snapped open. Lotor was standing so close that he couldn't see behind him, but it was obvious by the Prince's expression that he knew whom the voice belonged to. Slowly releasing Keith's jaw, Lotor turned his head. "Princess!" he said with surprise. "Such language is unbecoming of a monarch."

"You will step away from him immediately or I _will _fire."

"Will you, now? That isn't such a polite thing for a guest to do. Intrude on my castle and threaten my wellbeing? These pilots have been a terrible influence on your—"

The shot rang loudly in the small space. Lotor fell to his knees before Keith, the instrument in his hand falling to the floor. His shoulder was turning red with his blood.

"Move to the corner and put your back against the wall. Keep your hands where I can see them."

Keith couldn't help but stare in awe of the hard tone the Princess gave Lotor. The cell was dim, but there was just enough light from the hallway to see the pink shade of the Princess' uniform. She stood battle ready, blaster in hand, with the most focused look Keith had ever seen on her. Lance covered her side.

"We're in," he whispered quietly, "but we fired a shot. We don't have much time."

Keith stared in silence as Lotor glared fiercely at Allura, blood covering his once pristine gloves. "I had no idea you'd become so ruthless, my dear."

"Keep _both _hands where I can see them,"

"Surely you wouldn't deny a man a chance to staunch his own wounds?"

"Like you've given the slaves a chance to heal theirs? Both of them up – _now_."

Lotor gritted his teeth. He raised a blood-stained hand in the air. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You've taken someone from us. We're here to get him back." Without taking her eyes off Lotor, Allura inclined her head in Keith's direction. Lance immediately moved to the chains on Keith's hands.

"Hey buddy – what's hurtin'?" he said, eyes darting quickly over his injuries.

"Face, ribs, dislocated shoulder. Legs are good." Keith answered breathlessly, trying to regain his focus.

"Is that all?"

"My… head hurts pretty bad."

"Concussion," Lance whispered. Quickly, he took a small tool from his belt and unlocked the chains. Keith groaned loudly when his dislocated arm fell to his side.

"You relax, Keith. We've got you. Allura?"

"Fall back. I'll keep an eye on him."

Keith, head pounding and vision swimming, didn't resist as Lance lifted his good arm over his shoulder and held him steady. He was barely able to take a glace at Allura's face. She was as stern and stalwart as ever, the barrel of her blaster pointing straight at Lotor.

"Do not grow so arrogant, Princess. I shall repay you for this intrusion."

Lance guided Keith towards the door, but the Captain's eyes began to droop. Just as he leaned into Lance before losing consciousness, he heard Allura speak confidently, "Go ahead and try. We'll be ready for you."

* * *

Several days later, Keith was released from the medical wing of the Castle of Lions. Though he suffered from conditions of a minor concussion, the cut on his lip had been stitched and his shoulder set back into place. Dr. Gorma was firm with his instructions to take it easy, knowing that Keith would want to get right back to work. The good doctor suggested that Lance would be more than able to cover things for a few days so that his shoulder had a chance to heal.

It was Lance who greeted him the moment he stepped away from the hospital wing, opening a manila folder he held in his hands containing several pieces of paper.

"You're giving me your report now?" Keith asked, taking the opened folder from Lance and staring at the first paragraph.

"Figured you'd want it. Knowing you, you'd want to see how everything was done before reporting it to the Garrison."

"You haven't done so already?"

"Didn't feel like it was appropriate."

Keith looked at him. "Lance, it's protocol."

"Yeah, I get that." Lance took the folder from Keith's hand and lead him down the hall to his office. "The thing is, I didn't come up with the rescue plan."

Keith furrowed his brows. "Then why did you write the report?"

"Because I'm pretty sure Allura isn't aware of the detail needed to give an appropriate one to the Garrison."

Keith started. "Allura? What…?"

"I mean, I know she's a diplomat, but I figured I'd take the heat off her and write it myself."

"Wait, Lance," Keith reached out and stopped him. "Allura came up with the rescue plan?"

"Sure did," Lance gave him a small smile. "I figured you'd want to read the report before you talked to her yourself."

"Why on Earth did you let Allura volunteer to lead the rescue mission?"

"I didn't," Lance stopped in front of Keith's office and opened the door. "She stepped in from the get-go."

"She led it from the beginning…?" Keith said to himself, staring at the first page of the document.

"Look, I can give you this report verbally or you can read it for yourself. Either way, I think you need to talk to her." Lance's smile grew larger. "She was pretty gung-ho about it, too. Almost like she'd do anything to get you back."

Keith chose not to answer, seeing the look Lance was giving him peripherally. The truth of it all was sitting right there in the opening paragraph; after his kidnapping, Allura stepped in right away and started formulating a plan with the rest of the Force. It didn't seem like he'd been captured that long.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," Lance finally said, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning around. "Just make sure you talk to her. She was in control the entire time, but she seemed kinda scared, too."

_Scared?_ Keith glanced at Lance's retreating form before walking into his office, recalling the look on Allura's face as she confronted Lotor. There were many things that came to mind, but fear?

* * *

Allura was quiet at dinner that evening, speaking when spoken to but staring at her meal otherwise. It wasn't completely unusual – being a monarch, she always had something significant she frequently pondered – but Lance's insinuation made Keith wonder if there wasn't something more on her mind than Arus' wellbeing. There had always been a righteous aggression to Allura when it came to flying a Lion and heading into battle. The only traces of fear he had ever seen was when they'd first met, when Arus was virtually unrecognizable and left in ruins. Voltron had seemed like a faraway hope then, but once the robot had been brought to life, she had never faltered in the hope that Arus would one day be able to defend itself and rise against the forces of Doom. Hope for her planet was dominant. Concern for her people was a given, but fear?

It didn't mean to make sense. Making his way to her quarters later that evening, he couldn't really put a finger on it. The only conclusion he could come to was fear for a fellow teammate, or for the success of the mission. Again, though, he couldn't recall a time Allura had genuinely looked afraid, even on her first mission.

_Lance had to have been imagining things, _he finally concluded, gently knocking on the door. "Princess? It's Keith. May I come in?"

He only waited a few moments before the door opened. Allura stood before him in the same gown she wore to dinner, eyes widened in surprise. "Keith, what are you doing here?"

"Slightly breaking my promise to Dr. Gorma," he said with a grin. "I told him I'd rest a lot since he released me from the medical wing, but I wanted to talk to you about earlier today and the rescue mission."

The bright curiosity in her eyes dimmed. Her smile faded. "Was there… is there something wrong?"

"Nothing at all. I'd actually like to talk to you about it in full – as a Captain to one of his teammates."

His friendly demeanor appeared to have the opposite affect on her. She immediately seemed to cower, as if she hid a great secret she was ashamed of. "You'll need to file a report to the Garrison," she said, almost to herself. "Of course we can talk. Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable."

Keith smiled at her again, trying to hide the slight concern over her change of attitude. Her sitting room was more like a small apartment, with furnishings and decorations from different planets gracing the walls. The actual bedroom was adjacent to the sitting room, so he had felt no concern in coming to see her in her own quarters. _Besides, if Nanny wants to say something about it being improper, I can just point out that we've all been here together many times…_

"Is there anything I can get you?" she asked quietly, offering him a large chair to sit in.

"No, that's fine. I didn't plan on being here too long." He couldn't help but notice how she looked at him worriedly. Her back was straight – something royalty and training had taught her – but she seemed to have trouble looking him in the eye. "Lance brought a written report to me earlier."

"He did?" she asked, though it sounded slightly like a statement.

"He told me to read through it before I came and talked to you. Originally I was going to congratulate you for standing up to Lotor the way you did, but once I read it, I realized we needed to talk."

She took a deep breath, staring at the floor. "I realize that I didn't allow Lance to take the lead in this. I… apologize."

"Apologize for what?" Keith asked, taking a step towards her. "Allura, you showed tremendous leadership. Once the scenario made itself known, you took immediate action to make sure that I'd get back safely. That's nothing to apologize for."

"He's the second-in-command. I know that I technically outrank all of you, but when matters pertain to the Voltron Force, I'm merely another one of your soldiers. Regardless of my position, I must respect the ranking of the team, and I didn't." She straightened, looking him in the eye for the first time. "I will accept any disciplinary measures you feel are acceptable."

"Is that what you think this is about?" Keith said with a surprised laugh. "You think I'm here to give you some kind of punishment for a rescue mission?"

"Keith, I didn't let Lance do the job required of him in your absence."

"No, but you proved something better – that you consider yourself part of this team." He closed the small distance between them, placing his good hand on her shoulder. "Allura, don't you think Hunk or Pidge could have come up with something too? You would have followed either of them if they'd done so, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would have."

"So you had a plan and they helped you follow through. What's the problem?"

She looked away from him again. Keith couldn't tell if she was frustrated or angry. There was slight apprehension. Was she nervous? "You were hurt when we got there."

He blinked. That wasn't what he'd expected her to say.

"If I had let Lance or the others take the lead, we probably would have gotten you out a long time ago. Long before you were injured."

"Allura," he said quietly, waiting for her to look at him. "You stepped in and executed a rescue mission with only a few hours planning and managed to get me out alive. That's an extremely successful mission. Most kidnappings in the heat of war don't always happen that way."

"That's not the point," she whispered, frustrated. "You – all of you – are family to me. After losing my mother and father, I swore I'd never let anything happen to my loved ones again. I'd never let anyone from the Drule Empire hurt another member of my family."

"You're being too hard on yourself," he said gently. "It could be much, much worse."

She didn't answer. He smiled and removed his hand from her shoulder, taking her hand in his. "I don't think I ever got the chance to say this, though." She looked at him, still burdened with her thoughts. "Thank you for saving my life. You showed incredible leadership in a time of great stress, and according to Lance's report, maintained focus and resolve in a high-stress situation. You went above and beyond your duty as a soldier." He squeezed her hand. "As your Captain, I am _very_ proud of you and honored to have you under my command."

For a moment, she genuinely smiled back at him, flushing under his praise. "Thank you, Keith. And you're very welcome. I'd do it again in an instant."

He released her hand, nodding. A comfortable silence hung between them.

"Ah, I don't suppose you need me to write a report to the Garrison? If I'm correct, the one who leads the mission is the one who submits it shortly thereafter…"

"Nah, don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand. "I'll send them the one Lance wrote. There's no need to worry you with more than you've already got."

"If you're sure."

"Positive. I think they'll be more impressed that you decided to go Xena Warrior Princess and take initiative."

She blinked. "Xena Warrior Princess?"

"Never mind," he waved his arm again, "Really bad pop-culture reference. You should get some sleep. It's late and practice will come early."

Allura nodded, her look of relief a balm to his concern. She led him to the door and opened it for him, nodding her head at him. "Goodnight, Keith."

"Goodnight, Allura." He paused at the door, noticing that, beneath the calm exterior she displayed, there was a hesitancy to accept things were okay. "You did well."

She looked at his black eye, split lip, and the sling that supported his arm. "Thank you," she whispered, but he couldn't tell if she felt any better.

He left the room and made his way down the hall, feeling as though lingering wouldn't be appropriate. The sadness in her eyes haunted him. Her sincerity when saying he was family echoed in his ears. His brisk pace slowed.

_You were hurt when we got there._

_ I swore I'd never let anything happen to my loved ones again._

_ My loved ones…_

He forced himself not to dwell on it, but he couldn't help but think of the ferocity she showed to Lotor. There was a small part of him that wondered, throughout the entire time, that maybe she was angry because Lotor had kidnapped _himself._

The same part concluded that she was afraid because he had been hurt when they had arrived.

The voice kept screaming that, if their positions had been swapped, he would have been the same.

He reached his room and let his hand fall heavily on the keypad. He didn't move, consumed with his thoughts.

_My loved ones._

Oh how he wished…

_You think too much, Kogane._

* * *

Allura closed the door, suddenly feeling helpless in the quiet room. She turned and leaned her back against it, sighing deeply. His black eye. The stitches in his lip. How positive he seemed despite her own fears.

_That's an extremely successful mission._

She closed her eyes. Intelligent though he was, there was no possible way Keith could know that she'd never consider the mission successful simply because he had gotten hurt. It was more than the injury of a brother in arms.

_It's because it was you._

The Princess of Arus allowed herself a few more luxurious seconds of self-pity. Then, opening her eyes, she straightened and moved to her vanity, readying herself for bed.


End file.
